No. 8 Alabama squared off against another ranked opponent on Monday but fell short, losing 95-85 to No. 12 Gonzaga in the first game of the Players Era Festival.
The game was back and forth for most of the night until Gonzaga pulled away late. The Crimson Tide drops to 3-2 on the season.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
- Career Night for Philon
Labaron Philon did everything he could to try to lead Alabama to victory, but he couldn’t get any help from his teammates. For the fourth time in five games, Philon scored over 20 points with a career-high 29 points. Philon also dished out seven assists on the night.
- Big First Half From Sherrell
Alabama got a solid first half out of Aiden Sherrell, who scored eight in the first 20 minutes. Sherrell also added five rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Sherrell cooled off in the second half and finished the night with 14 points and six rebounds.
- Three Point Struggles
Three point makes were hard to come by in the first half for both teams. Alabama took 14 three-point attempts and only made three in the first 20 minutes of the game. The second half wasn’t much better, making just six three-pointers, bringing the three-point shooting to 9-for-29 on the night.
- Outrebounded
The Crimson Tide struggled to rebound the ball against a bigger Gonzaga squad. The Bulldogs crashed the offensive glass and were rewarded with 20 offensive rebounds, resulting in 25 second-chance points. Alabama’s inability to grab rebounds played a big factor in the end result as Alabama was outrebounded 48-36.
Alabama will play UNLV on Tuesday at 11 p.m. in its second game of the Players Era Festival. The game will be televised on TNT.
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